“For as much as this people refuseth the waters of Shiloah that go softly, and rejoice in Rezin and Remaliah’s son, now therefore, behold, the Lord bringeth up upon them the waters of the river, strong and many, even the king of Assyria, and all his glory; and he shall come up over all his channels, and go over all his banks; And he shall pass through Judah; he shall overflow and go over, he shall reach even to the neck; and the stretching out of his wings shall fill the breadth of thy land, Ο Immanuel.”1
These words were part of a strong indictment which came upon the Jews because of their continued waywardness. To the Hebrews who had often drunk of the waters of the stream of Shiloah, the reproach of the prophet would be full of significance, whilst for us its meaning will be altogether lost unless we can translate it into terms of modern use. Such a translation will result in the conveying of a very strong rebuke to those people who prefer to place their trust in the powers of this passing world rather than in Christ, the “Sent” of God.
There are two facts which must be borne in mind. First, the expression, “The waters of Shiloah,” was an ancient poetic name for the Pool of Siloam, the very pool to which the blind man came requesting to be .healed at the hands of Jesus. Secondly, the generation which was the recipient of this rebuke lived long after the time when the kingdoms of Israel and Judah had become divided. As hatred developed between these two kingdoms, strife raged and war resulted, involving neighbouring nations, just as happens in modern times.
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Author: V. Standeven
Keywords: water of life, waters of Shiloah, shiloah, Pool of Siloam, siloam
Bible reference(s): Isaiah 8:6
Source: “The Water of Life,” The Testimony, Vol. 23, No. 271, July 1953, pp. 199-201.
Page indexed by: inWORD Bible Software.